JUST IN: Kennesaw State University has new president

Georgia’s Board of Regents voted unanimously Tuesday appoint Pamela Whitten the new president of Kennesaw State University.

Whitten had been provost and senior vice president of academic affairs of the University of Georgia since 2014. She will start her new position on July 16.

Her salary will be negotiated with University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley, who congratulated Whitten in a statement.

Whitten said she was excited about her new job.

“It is an honor and privilege to join the KSU community,” Whitten said in a statement. “I am thrilled to be able to partner with the entire Owl Nation to champion our students, faculty and staff across Georgia and beyond.”

Kennesaw State University presidential candidate Pamela Whitten speaks at a forum on Friday, June 8, 2018 at the Marietta campus. ERIC STIRGUS / ESTIRGUS@AJC.COM
Photo: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Veteran KSU faculty member and administrator Ken Harmon had been interim president since February when former Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens resigned after 16 months on the job.

Kennesaw State has about 35,000 students, the third-largest enrollment in the University System of Georgia.